All This Beauty
by quickand2thepointless
Summary: FE8. The war is a dark and terrifying thing, but perhaps some good things have come of it. Tana/Ephraim one shot with background Innes/Vanessa, Seth/Eirika.


**A/N:** I was digging through my story notebooks and found some FE8 one shots that I wrote after I beat the game that I'd forgotten about. In between writing the last chapter of "Weddings" I thought I'd type the good ones up for your enjoyment. Let me know what you think!

0o0o0o0o0o

"I'm not a child anymore. I'm **not**!"

Innes returned his sister's seething stare with as much distance and impassiveness as ever; he was a man as unmovable as a rock. "Tana, be reasonable," he blandly stated, his voice scarcely raising in pitch. "You're making a scene."

But Tana was not to be deterred. There was a point she wanted to make, and she would not rest until she had her say, even if Innes did not deign to listen to a word of it. "You may be my brother," she snapped, "but you have no absolutely no right to order me about this way. You're not my father, and I have no reason to obey you!"

Innes sighed wearily and placed a hand on his sister's quivering shoulder. "I am aware that I am not Father, Tana. But as I am here in his stead, I feel I have every right- every obligation, even- to give you the advice that I know he too would give. I wish you would not insist upon taking it so badly."

"But you can't even be sure of what Father would say to this, can you? You two are not of a like mind in all things. Perhaps he would feel differently. Perhaps he would counsel me in the opposite way than you would."

"I think not, my dear. Our father would hardly approve of you so determinedly distracting this army's commander without any regard to what the implications might be."

Tana frowned and impetuously stomped her foot. "Despite what you think, I am _not_ distracting him. You're simply jumping to conclusions without examining what the reality of the situation is!"

"Yeah. Right." Innes rolled his eyes condescendingly. "Stop acting as if I don't have eyes, Tana. For the past few battles you've been hounding him relentlessly! And since he's so damned noble, he forces himself to slow his pace to protect you! You and I both know that this cannot go on. He must focus on the enemy in front of him, not on you."

"Ephraim knows I can take care of myself," she protested, blushing violent.

"Does he really? Then why has it been so long since I've seen him on the front lines?"

"Because... because... he must care about what happens to me! Can you really fault him for that, brother?"

"Tana," Innes warned, "I know where you intend to go with this, and I fear I must beg you to reconsider. Now is not the time, and this is certainly not the place. In your heart you must know this. You must realize what discretion is needed."

Tana snorted. "Discretion? I don't see _you _using discretion with Vanessa! Or you above following your own advice now?"

"Vanessa and I are different. We are both of Frelia, and the restoration of our country will not be difficult. We were never fully occupied by Grado forces like Renais was, and that has lessened our damages. But Ephraim and Eirika have a long battle ahead of them, and they must not be distracted from it. There will be time for that later when their people are back on their feet again, and you must wait until then before you doing anything rash."

"But I can help them, Innes," Tana insisted. "I know I am capable."

"I know you are as well, my sister, and you may help them all you wish after our own country's needs are seen to. But you must help them as a friend and fellow royal. Renais will not stand for their king entering into matrimony before he even enters their service!"

"Oh, Innes." Tana closed her eyes slightly, hiding the tears that were threatening to fall. "But you must understand how I feel. You have Vanessa. You must know the agony that fills my heart when I think on how long I must wait."

"I do indeed," Innes said as kindly as he could. "But you are young and resilient. You will survive this, and there will be much to occupy you as you wait. You are a princess of Frelia, after all, and our lives in the palace will hardly be dull."

"_Yours_ will not. You will marry and be king one day, and Vanessa will be such a lovely queen to you. Your children will become the new princes and princesses, and I will lose my use to Frelia."

"The events you describe will hardly arrive soon," Innes reminded her impatiently. "The restoration of Renais will take some time, but I doubt I will be king and the father of many by time they are finished!"

Tana sighed. "I know, I know. It just seems so long... Magvel is not yet even saved. Any of us may die at any moment, and who knows when the chance will come again to..." She trailed off.

"Ephraim isn't going to die, Tana. Neither are you. As far as I'm concerned, your deaths are not options for us. For the sake of this continent, you both must live."

"But I feel so worried about what will happen if I don't say something to him now," she murmured. "The courage this was has given me may only last so long. I may never be brave enough to face him again when this is all over."

"What's this I hear?" Innes scolded, narrowing his eyes. "You are a daughter of Frelia, a trained pegasus knight, and a hero of the most dangerous war this country has ever seen. Most importantly of all, you are my sister. Being thus, you are destined to never know a moment of cowardice again. It's not in our blood." He picked up the bow he had set down earlier in the evening, strung an arrow through it, and took aim at a nearby tree. "Do we see eye to eye on this, Tana?"

She frowned slightly, but did not disagree. "I suppose."

"And as for Ephraim...?"

"When you next see him, he will be back on the front lines. Where he belongs."

0o0o0o0o0o

"Hey! Tana!" Ephraim was calling out to her from his tent, his head and shoulders poking out comically from the flaps. "Does this evening find you well?

"I am well and uninjured, thank you," Tana replied as he hurried forward to approach her, trying to keep her tone polite and companionable. "Do I find you the same?"

"I am well enough. It is Eirika who has my concern. It was was a blow to her that Lyon- the Demon King, I should say- was able to trick our Sacred Stone from our possession. I fear she may lose hope if we do not reach Rausten soon."

"Oh, Ephraim!" Tana cried, her eyes welling with tears. "You must not remain here speaking with me when your sister must so desperately need your comfort!"

He shrugged. "I would speak to her, but she won't see me. She is embarrassed and ashamed and has no desire for my company tonight. General Seth is attending to her at the moment, and even he must put up with her resistance."

"Poor Eirika."

"Indeed. But Seth will not permit her to be melancholy for long. He talk sense to her and coax a few smiles, and then all will be well again. But until he is finished comforting her, I would like to speak to you, Tana."

She lifted her eyes hopefully to his face. "You would?"

"Of course. I have been wondering all day why I barely saw you in battle. I hope those gorgons didn't scare you off."

"Oh... no. Those things can barely harm me while I am on Hyperion."

"Well, why did you pull back from the battle?" Ephraim pressed. "I've grown accustomed to you fighting at my side."

Tana laughed nervously. "I didn't want to be a burden to you, Ephraim. I know I insisted on your company before, but you were right to question my judgment before. Your place is at the front lines, not with me."

Ephraim regarded her curiously. "Have you been talking to Innes recently?"

"It's inevitable that I will. He's my brother, after all."

"He told you to stay away from me, didn't he?"

"Uh... he merely told me not to distract you in combat."

"But you don't distract me!" he protested vehemently. "You have become a very competent fighter in your own right, and I know I can count on you to take care of whatever enemy comes our way."

Tana looked up in surprise. "Really? You think that? Than why do you always refrain from the front lines when I'm around? Why do you hold back if you know I can protect myself?"

Ephraim sighed. "I hardly know myself. It's a difficult thing to explain. I just feel less... reckless when you're around. I know how you worry, and I do not wish to cause you pain."

"But my worries must not come first. Renais' must. Magvel's must."

"Look, Tana," he persisted. "I can defeat any enemy that crosses my path no matter what pace I charge at. This army is very powerful, and our attacks are well planned. A little extra power from me is no big sacrifice to make if it means _you _are more confident in battle." He gently took her hand and squeezed it. "Don't you think so?"

Tana shivered. "I don't know what to think, Ephraim. But I just want this to be over sometimes. I want us both to be safe again. I don't to worry about whether I'm going to live or die anymore."

"Tana..."

She brushed a finger down the length of his thumb and drew it upwards again. In their silence they could hear the all the others existing around them. Lute humming a somewhat out of tune lullaby to Artur. Franz, Amelia, Forde, and Kyle sparring around the fire. Ewan and Ross boasting in their tents. L'Arachel spouting off nonsense to Rennac and Dozla. Syrene and Gilliam whispering softly, their voices carrying on the wind. Eirika's pure and and heavy sobs on the background of Seth's commanding and soothing voice.

"I want this to be over," Tana admitted abruptly, "but somehow I wish it would never end." She leaned her head against Ephraim's shoulder, and he gently ran his fingers through her long hair. "Look at all these people we have brought together. All this beauty our destruction has made."

"It doesn't have to die when the war ends," Ephraim soothed. "These ties that have been made are long standing."

"But we will go back to our countries and follow our separate paths. We may never-"

"Ssh." Ephraim placed a finger over her lips and shook his head. "I am right here, Tana. For as long as you want me, I'll be right here."

Her eyes quivered as she looked at him. She didn't know what to say. He looked so tall and untouchable cloaked in the shadows of the night, and she felt so small and breakable in comparison. She was not a child- they both knew that now- but in a way she still needed his protection. She needed his trust and his faith in her, for she was still so frightened, so terrified of being alone, and he was really all she had to go by when the darkness of their situation swept over her heart and soul.

He kissed her head and brushed away the single tear sliding down her cheek. "All this beauty our destruction has made," he mused under his breath as Tana trembled in his arms. "Let's not let it die, okay? We'll make sure it doesn't- you and I."


End file.
